Hey Everyone,

So my new wheels that I ordered in March are finally out for delivery. I'm going to pick them up at the shop and bring them home to put on a few coats of wheel wax/sealant and then a small group of us are going to put them on. I've been doing some research on wheel torque specs and I keep finding 88.5 lbs is what the MINI should have for the wheels. Is this right?

Thanks Everyone!!

Quadrivium10

 

That's correct. Remember to re-torque them after about 50 miles of driving to insure that the new ones are good for the long haul.

 

A+

 

Because you have a 2006, you could have either the 12 mm lug bolts or the 14 mm lug bolts. If you have the 12 mm bolts, the proper torque spec is 88.5 lbf-ft. If you have the 14 mm bolts, the proper spec is 103 lbf-ft. The owner's manual continued to list the "old" spec well after the change was made.

Check the build date sticker on your doorjamb - the changeover from 12 mm to 14 mm took place around July of 2006.

 

Thx for the FYI. Mine was made 7/27/2006. I'll be sure and check the door!

Thanks so much everyone!

 

Since your car was built right around the lug bolt size change, you might want to remove one lug bolt and measure the diameter (12 or 14mm). If you have 14mm lug bolts you might want to check your new wheels to make sure the lug bolt hole is large enough to accept the 14mm bolts because some wheels do not have big enough holes for the 14mm bolt.

 

Don't stress about it too much just tighten them to 90ft lbs and you'll be fine no matter which size bolts you have. Thats what we torque the race car wheels to and they are fine.

 

Am I mis-reading something here? I just went out and checked my car. I have a 2008 Cabrio - - non S. Stock wheels. It has 17mm lugs. Torque spec is 103 ft lbs.

 

The "17 mm" refers to the size wrench you use to remove the lug bolts, and I don't think that's ever changed over the years. When we talk about "12 mm" or "14 mm", we're referring to the diameter of the threaded portion of the bolt - that's what changed in 2006. The thread pitch was also changed at the same time, from 1.5 mm to 1.25 mm.

So, your car has a 14 mm lug bolt, with a 17 mm head, and a torque spec of 103 lbf-ft.

 

Thanks for clarifying this. This site is great - I learn so much here.

 

You're welcome, and it was a good question - we've been talking about the lug bolt changeover here on NAM for almost five years, so we often forget to include the details (such as what exactly it was that changed from 12 mm to 14 mm) when we refer to it in our posts.

None of us here knows it all (for instance, I'm practically worthless when it comes to any of the models after the R50/53/52), but I can promise that whatever the question, *someone* here knows the answer.

 

Why did Mini change the Lug Bolt size from 12mm to 14mm ?

 

Is that inner or outer diameter? I want to pull one out and measure it (mine was built in Aug 2006) and if you're talking inner and I measure outer then I could come to the wrong conclusion.

I get you Way (90 ft/lb regardless) but I'm just paranoid enough that I'd prefer to get it right.

Thanks

 

It's across the widest part of the threaded section - what's called the "major diameter" in this picture: